Locals Discover Baby Buried in Sand

A group of people in India saw something strange sticking up from a pile of sand and were shocked to learn it was a baby buried alive.

The U.K. Daily Mail reported that villagers in Odisha spotted the baby’s feet protruding from a pile of sand and began unearthing what was underneath.

While some worked to rescue the baby, others arranged for an ambulance.

Video footage of a dramatic rescue showed rescuers digging the baby from the sand pit, where she could be heard crying (WARNING: Some viewers will find this video disturbing):

Jajpur district chief medical officer Fanindra Kumar Panigrahi told French media outlet AFP that the little girl, who was just six hours old at the time of the discovery, was doing fine.

Police arrested her father, Ramesh Chandra, 35, for attempted manslaughter. Chandra reportedly took the baby from her mother after she was born on Saturday.

There was no mention of what happened to the mother of the child.

Investigating officer Jyoti Prakash Pande told AFP that the couple was “unable to explain about the missing child.”

When questioned, Chandra, who is a taxi driver, told authorities he was too poor to afford another child. The couple reportedly already has two daughters and a son and had aborted two earlier pregnancies, Pande said.

It was not immediately known what would happen to the baby girl, who was named Dharitri, which means “the earth” in Sanskrit.

India.com reported that female infanticide is a common practice in India.

We understand that cultures are different, but it is unbelievable that something like this attempted murder still happens. Western culture has done more for women than any other culture.

While many anti-West individuals love to spout off about how horribly women are treated in our country, it would behoove them to remember that women in some other cultures are still beaten, burned, circumcised or killed just because they are female.

We are glad this baby was rescued, and we hope she has a chance to live a full and rewarding life away from those who wanted her dead.